This invention is directed to power supplies and more particularly is directed to means for providing foldback current limiting for a power supply in order to prevent the power supply from self destructing in the event that a current overload condition occurs.
The present invention is particularly useful in d.c. power supplies employing power switching transistors and a servo or error amplifier for controlling same, these types of power supplies being currently used in applications such as providing d.c. power to the central processing unit or other portions of a computer.
This invention is an improvement over other current limiting foldback techniques currently used in that the same servo or error amplifier providing the error signal is also used to effect current limiting.
Reference may be had to the Text VOL.III, Proceedings of Power Con 3 Third National Solid - State Power Conversion Conference June 1976, copyright (.COPYRGT.) Ronald I. Birdsall and Associates 1976, published by Powercon,Inc. Oxnard, California for an overview of power supplies, as well as switching power supplies and in particular to page E3-4 thereof for a disclosure of a prior art current limiting technique.